Review ~ Some Bright Someday (Maple Valley #2) by Melissa Tagg

 

Published November 19th 2020 by Larkspur Press

He’s torn between love and honor...

Lucas Danby has always regretted the decisions that caused his dishonorable discharge from the military—and he’s never stopped trying to redeem his honor. He's spent the past decade taking on dangerous short-term missions as an elite private soldier—the only part of his life that's ever gone right. But the high-risk work never cures his shame. Now he’s stuck stateside, mentoring a new recruit. Worse, he's sick of lying to the people he cares about most—including the woman he’s secretly loved for years.

She can’t escape her house of memories...

Jenessa Belville should be happy. She's the hometown girl everyone loves, after all. But she’s also the last Belville left—and if she had her way, she'd leave the name and all its painful memories behind. Which is exactly what she hopes to do once she sells Belville Park, the massive estate she inherited from her parents. First, though, she needs to restore the property’s once-glorious gardens. But on the same day she puts up the “For Sale” sign, she discovers three children hiding in the caretaker's cottage, thrusting her into the unexpected role of temporary guardian.

Fighting for their future means healing from the past...

Struggling to mentor a young man with scars nearly as piercing as his own, Lucas offers to help Jenessa restore the Belville grounds. Though drawn together by a trio of kids who tug on their hearts and the sparks they can’t deny, past secrets and current sorrows threaten to pull them apart. Only the brightest love and hardest sacrifice can turn the house Jenessa never wanted into the home she and Lucas have always longed for.

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My Review  4 STARS

"I'm good at cracking mysteries. One day I will discover all your secrets."

Some Bright Someday is a compelling story with a labyrinth of emotions running through the pages. Interesting twists and turns involving Lucas’s new recruit, and the trio of siblings that Jenessa finds in the cottage, keeps the narrative moving forward.

Melissa Tagg is a not-to-be-missed contemporary romance writer. She takes intriguing subject matter and draws the reader into the story with exceptional descriptive language. Maple Valley is definitely a fictional community I would love to live in. The people and places entice you to come on in and sit a while.

Some Bright Someday is Christian fiction and a clean read that I recommend. The first book in the series, Now and Then and Always does not have to be read first but I highly recommend reading it.

I received an electronic copy of the book from the author. No review was required. No compensation received.

Review ~ One Plus One Equals Trouble (Love that Counts #1) by Sondra Kraak

Kindle Edition, 302 pages Published October 31st 2015 by Trail House Publishers 

The one room schoolhouse isn’t big enough to hold thirty-four students, let alone the egos of two teachers. He can’t afford to lose the position, and she refuses to lose her heart.

Humiliated after her broken engagement, Claire Montgomery flees her comfortable life in San Francisco for a teaching position in Pine Creek, Washington, a dot of a town nestled in the rugged Cascade Mountains. She’s determined to succeed—for once in her life—only to discover, upon her arrival, that success will have to be won. Thanks to a school board error, two teachers have been hired.

When scandal forces professor Barrett Clarke from his position, he returns to Pine Creek where his uncle, chairman of the school board, sets forth an irresistible offer: teach one year in return for ranchland. For this would-be rancher, nothing is more tempting than resurrecting his childhood dream, and nothing can deter him from earning that land.

Except perhaps Claire Montgomery. Losing the battle for the classroom means losing the ranchland, but winning may mean losing Claire’s heart.

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My Review ~ 4 STARS

I finally got around to reading a book by Sondra Kraak and I can certainly see why so many readers adore her books. One Plus One Equals Trouble is filled with spunk and sass and lots of laughs, while at the same time a longing for acceptance and grace is woven throughout. Some of the vernacular and ideas seem a bit contemporary but the story still resonates a lovely historical romance.

I bought my Kindle copy back in 2016. That's how long it sometimes takes me to get around to reading a book that I buy. It's FREE on KU right now if you subscribe. 

Have you read any of Sondra's books? Let me know in the comments. 

Have a blessed day in the Lord,

Review ~ Once Upon a Christmas (Book 3 of the Christmas Card Series) by Amanda Tru

 

If I only see you once...

When her flight home is canceled a few days before Christmas, Moe Scott spontaneously agrees to spend a few hours sight-seeing with a fellow passenger. At the time, she doesn't know the moments with James will change her life, nor does she know that before her plane takes off the next morning, she will turn around to find James gone.

With no way to contact him, Moe returns home only to lose everything before the new year dawns. Completely alone, jobless, and faced with the news that she is going blind, Moe remembers her time with James and clings to the idea of embracing the moments of vision she has left.

When opportunities for love and friendship come in the most unexpected places, Moe faces the choice of whether to continue to wait for the man who changed her life.

Will Moe and James ever find each other again? Can she learn to appreciate the beauty in each moment God provides and inspire those beyond her own darkness, even if she never sees again?

A once upon a Christmas inspires her story. Her ever after changes the world.

Author website - https://amandatru.com/

Purchase: Amazon

My Review 5 STARS!!!

Oh. My. Goodness. A friend of mine shared some highlights from this book on Goodreads that intrigued me. I borrowed a copy on KU and started reading it immediately. I had trouble putting it down and would have stayed up all night to read it, if possible. The story certainly wasn't what I expected. I was thinking it would be a fairly lighthearted, sweet Christmas romance but it was so much more!!! 

If you're looking for an inspirational story that will leave you contemplating and perhaps re-evaluating your "once" moments, this is the one. Amanda Tru will be an author added to my must-read list. This book is a stand-alone, as are all the books in this series.

Let me know if you read it and what you think of it!

Have a blessed day in the Lord,

Review ~ To Steal a Heart | The Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency 1 | Jen Turano

Paperback, 352 pages

Published November 17th 2020 by Bethany House Publishers

After a childhood as a street thief, Gabriella Goodhue thought she'd put her past behind her until a fellow resident at her boardinghouse is unjustly accused of theft. In the middle of breaking into a safe that holds the proof to prove her friend's innocence, Gabriella is interrupted by Nicholas Quinn, the man she once considered her best friend—until he abandoned her.

After being taken under the wing of a professor who introduced him into society and named him as heir, Nicholas is living far removed from his childhood life of crime. As a favor to a friend, Nicholas agreed to help clear the name of an innocent woman, never imagining he'd be reunited with the girl he thought lost to him forever.

As Gabriella and Nicholas are thrown together into one intrigue after another, their childhood affection grows into more, but their newfound feelings are tested when truths about their past are revealed and danger follows their every step.

Read an excerpt HERE.

Purchase: Christian Book

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My Review ~ 4 STARS

In classic Turano fashion, To Steal a Heart is a funny, heartwarming tale filled with mystery and slightly (okay, maybe more than slightly) crazy antics. I do enjoy the way this author is able to combine unfortunate circumstances and comedy to a degree that I never feel too overwhelmed by emotions. It’s entertainment, pure and simple.

Because this is the first book in a new series, there are a lot of characters. Even though I had a little trouble keeping them all straight in my head, I still recommend this to fans of historical fiction.

I received a copy from the author and publisher. No compensation has been received.

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Drop a comment and let me know if you've read Jen's books. If not, how about letting me know what you're currently reading?

Have a blessed day in the Lord,

Review ~ Joy to the World: A Regency Christmas Collection

Paperback, 336 pages

Published October 13th 2020 by Kregel Publications 

Inspirational Regency romance with a Christmas twist from three best-selling authors

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

"Heaven and Nature Sing" by Carolyn Miller

Two music lovers, deeply devoted to each other, were on the brink of engagement when family circumstances drove them apart. How can they ever overcome both their obligations and their fears to find their way back into each other's arms?

"Far as the Curse Is Found" by Amanda Barratt

One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

"Wonders of His Love" by Erica Vetsch

A Scots portrait painter finds work at a noble manor house over the holidays. He never imagined he'd fall in love with the emotionally frozen widow there. Now he wants nothing more than to thaw her heart. 

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My Review ~ 4 STARS

Carolyn Miller’s Heaven and Nature Sing is a sweet second chance romance. Fans will enjoy a lyrical reuniting of George and Edith. 3 stars

Amanda Barratt’s Far as the Curse is Found is one of the most brilliant novellas I have ever read. I was spellbound the entire time and couldn’t put it down. 5 stars

Erica Vetsch’s Wonders of His Love is simply delightful. Watching Cilla and Hamish break the class barrier, excellently done. And it didn’t hurt to see Marcus and other beloved characters again. 4.5 stars

I highly recommend this collection to Regency fans. You’ll be swept off your feet!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher. No compensation has been received.

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Let me know if you've read this or other Christmas stories this season. Or which ones you plan to read in December. :-)

Have a blessed day in the Lord,